Community-Based Bullying Prevention: 

Tips for Community Members

Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional

and that involves an imbalance of power or strength.

Often, it is repeated over time and can take many

forms. Bullying is a common occurance in the lives

of children. Nearly every child will experience

bullying at some time. Students report consistently

high rates of frequent bullying in studies

representative of urban, suburban, small-town, and

rural schools. Between 15–25 percent of students

are bullied and 15–20 percent report bullying

others (Melton et al., 1998; Nansel et al., 2001). 

Serious effects and school disruptions 

from bullying

Students and school staff know how destructive

bullying can be within schools that do not

consciously address the problem.

• Teasing and bullying were first on the minds of

most children when asked what threatens their

safety and emotional well-being (Kaiser Family

Foundation & Children Now, 2001; Schoenberg 

et al., 2003).

• Victims of bullying have higher rates of anxiety

and depression, and lower self-esteem even 

as adults.

• Bullying has been linked with serious school

violence, shootings, and hazing incidents (Nansel

et al., 2001; U.S. Department of Education, 1998).

• Bullying behavior can be a sign of antisocial or

violent tendencies that may lead to delinquent

and criminal behaviors.

Adults are responsible for creating safe learning

environments. When bullying is overlooked by

adults, children and youth are less likely to report 

it because they expect nothing will be done. 

Why bullying prevention needs to be

community wide

Bullying, a common and harmful experience in

many children’s social development, is largely

preventable. Community wide strategies can help

to identify and support children who are bullied;

redirect the behavior of children who bully; and

change the attitudes of adults and youth who

tolerate bullying behaviors in peer groups, schools,

and communities. 

Some of the benefits of a community wide

approach are: 

• Adults often fail to notice bullying. Children and

youth report that bullying typically happens in

unsupervised areas. The more adults who are

watching for bullying, the better. 

• Although much bullying happens at school, bullying

doesn’t stop at the schoolhouse door. It also 

occurs in the community—wherever children 

and youth gather. 

• School-based bullying prevention programs benefit

from input and support from the community. The

commitment of parents and community members

is vital to developing good programs and

sustaining them over time. 

• Bullying prevention messages are likely to be more

effective if they come from many adults in a

community—not just from educators and parents.
These and other materials are available online at: www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov

Community wide strategies to 

stop bullying 

1. Involve youth, parents, professionals, and

volunteers in promoting bullying prevention

• Engage a diverse group of parents, youth, and

caring adults to explore how residents perceive

the problem and what solutions they recommend. 

• Be certain to involve youth at every stage in

planning, implementing, and evaluating your

bullying prevention efforts. That’s the best way 

to tap into their world and know what will work.

• Knowledge and resources already exist within

your community. Seek out interested partners

from a variety of sources: educators and 

guidance counselors, health and mental heath

professionals, child development and family

centers, social service agencies, local police and

law enforcement, neighborhood associations, 

high school students, colleges and universities,

service organizations, faith-based organizations,

volunteer groups, and businesses.

• Keep in mind, that more than 70 public and

private sector health and safety, mental health,

education, faith-based, law enforcement, and

youth-serving organizations are partners in the

Stop Bullying Now! Campaign. They signed on to

spread the message and promote communitybased coalitions. Consider contacting local

chapters, members, and staff of the national

associations and service organizations who are

Campaign Partners (see Campaign Web site).

2. Assess strengths and needs in your community

• Study the problem locally to make 

informed decisions on prevention and

intervention strategies. 

• To coordinate the “right mix” of bullying

intervention and prevention, you’ll need to

describe the nature and extent of bullying in 

your community. Who is most affected? 

What kinds of bullying are most prevalent? Where

does bullying occur? How responsive are children,

youth, and adults to bullying that they observe?

• You’ll also want to assess what already is being

done in your community to address bullying.

• Consider assessing your community and school

needs using opinion surveys, interviews, focus

groups, and open forums (i.e., convene meetings

with community leaders, businesses, parent

teacher associations, and churches). 

3. Raise community awareness 

Bullying is a complex problem that is often

misunderstood. Don’t expect the entire community

to be well-informed. Some believe the myth that

bullying is a normal part of growing up. It is critical

to raise community awareness about bullying and

dispel common myths.

The groundwork for a local awareness campaign 

is already done. The Health Resources and Services

Administration’s (HRSA) National Bullying

Prevention Campaign gives you information and

dynamic, multimedia resources to bring attention

to the impact of bullying on young peoples’ lives,

“what works” in bullying prevention, and how to

reinforce the Campaign’s message to “Take a Stand.

Lend a Hand. Stop Bullying Now!” Everything you

need to create a local media campaign is easily

accessible and online in the Communications Kit 

at www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov.

• Distribute printed materials. Reprint brochures and

fact sheets; create newsletters; and add the Stop

Bullying Now! logo to your own written materials

and distribute them throughout your community. 

• Encourage local radio stations, TV broadcasters,

and newspapers to release the Campaign’s 

public service announcements during prime

viewing times. 
These and other materials are available online at: www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov

• Introduce tweens, 9- through 13-year-old youth,

to the Campaign in schools, after-school programs,

and community groups. Send them to the Web

site to learn about bullying in games, polls, and

the webisodes (animated comics), and solicit their

ideas and reactions to the real-life tales of

bullying. 

4. Develop a comprehensive community strategy

to address bullying

• Use the assessment results to define bullying, 

set goals, describe how the schools and broader

community will prevent bullying, and respond to

bullying incidents that occur. 

• Advocate for appropriate anti-bullying and

harassment policies in schools and other

institutions.

• Continually assess the effectiveness of your

community’s efforts. 

References and Resources

Brewster, C. & Railsback, J. (2001). Schoolwide Prevention of Bullying. By Request Series. Portland, OR: Northwest Regional Educational Lab. 

Kaiser Family Foundation, Children Now, Nickelodeon (2001). Talking with kids about tough issues: A national survey of parents and kids.

Retrieved August 10, 2005, from www.childrennow.org/nickelodeon/new-booklet.pdf 

Melton, G. B., Limber, S., Flerx, V., Cunningham, P., Osgood, D.W., Chambers, J., Henggler, S. & Nation, M. (1998). Violence among rural

youth. Final report to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice.

Nansel, T., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R.S., Ruan, W.J., Simmons-Morton, B. & Schmidt, P. (2001). Bullying behaviors among US youth. Journal of

American Medical Association, 285, 2094-2100.

Sampson, R. (2002). Bullying in Schools. Problem-solving guides for police series no. 12. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of

Community Oriented Policing Services. 

Schoenberg, J., Riggins, T. & Salmond, K. (2003). Feeling Safe: What girls say. New York: Girl Scout Research Institute in conjunction with Harris

Interactive, Inc. 

Skiba, R. & Fontanini, A. (2000). Bullying Prevention: What Works in Preventing School Violence. Bloomington, IN: Safe and Responsive Schools

Project Fact Sheet Series, Indiana Education Policy Center; retrieved August 10, 2005, from http://www.indiana.edu/~safeschl/

Thornton, T.N., Craft, C.A., Dahlberg, L.L., Lynch, B.S. & Baer, K. (2000). Best Practices of Youth Violence Prevention: A sourcebook for community

action. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

U.S. Department of Education (1998). Preventing Bullying: A Manual for Schools and Communities. Washington, DC: author.
These and other materials are available online at: www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov